The official GATE ME 2026 question paper and answer key are on this page as PDFs from IIT Guwahati, with the original source linked beside each file. The GATE ME exam covers General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics and ME core. Download them below, then sit the paper under exam timing with the attempt plan and error-log routine on this page.
Explore: GATE ME hub · Topic-wise PYQs · Syllabus & pattern · GATE ME 2025 · GATE 2026 (all papers) · How to use PYQs
Download the paper
Download the official GATE ME 2026 question paper and answer key (PDF), hosted on this site with the official source linked.
GATE ME 2026 at a glance
GATE ME 2026 was a single paper, held on 14 February 2026 in the afternoon session. The master question paper and the answer key are both hosted below.
| Organising institute | IIT Guwahati |
| Paper | Mechanical Engineering (ME) |
| Date | 14 Feb 2026, afternoon |
| Question types | 45 MCQ, 0 MSQ, 20 NAT |
| Questions | 65: 10 General Aptitude (15 marks) + 55 core (85 marks) |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Duration | 3 hours |
All figures come from the official master question paper and answer key on gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Candidates could challenge the keys from 25 to 28 February 2026.
Paper analysis
Snapshot of GATE ME 2026
ME 2026 had no MSQs at all: 45 MCQs and 20 NATs. Twenty NATs is a large share, so numerical accuracy (units, significant figures, the key’s answer range) decides the score as much as concepts do. On the MCQs, decide in advance how you will handle a question you can only narrow to two options, since each wrong answer costs marks.
What this paper stresses
- MSQ items where one wrong extra option zeros the mark.
- General Aptitude: 10 questions and 15 marks that are easy to rush.
- NAT answers that are conceptually right but mistyped or outside the key’s range.
- Core topics you revised lightly because mocks under-weighted them.
What to extract before you move on
- NAT vs MSQ vs MCQ miss counts (three different repair drills).
- GA topics you guessed versus knew.
- A personal chapter-weight table for your paper code from this sitting.
- Every question where your answer was right but your time on it was not.
Analyst note: The question order on your exam console may differ from the master paper, so mark by the master paper’s numbering.
Looking for another GATE 2026 paper code? Check the official GATE 2026 papers and keys page.
Topic-wise analysis
We tagged every question in the official 2026 paper on this page by topic: 65 questions (45 MCQ, 20 NAT). The topics with the most questions:
- General Aptitude: General Aptitude 10 questions.
- Engineering Mathematics: Engineering Mathematics 9 questions.
- Applied Mechanics and Design: Mechanics of Materials 4, Theory of Machines 4, Engineering Mechanics 3 questions.
- Fluid and Thermal Sciences: Fluid Mechanics 5, Heat Transfer 5, Thermodynamics 4 questions.
- Materials, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering: Machining and Machine Tools 3, Casting, Forming and Joining 2, Computer Integrated Manufacturing 2 questions.
Against GATE ME 2025, the biggest changes in question count: Casting, Forming and Joining -5, Heat Transfer +2, Power Plants, IC Engines and Refrigeration -2, Engineering Mechanics +1.
The official GATE ME 2026 paper (ME), tagged question by question: 65 questions (45 MCQ, 20 NAT). Answers, marks and question types come from the official GATE answer keys (option letters, or the accepted NAT range).
| Topic | Questions | vs 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 10 | |
| General Aptitude | 10 | 0 |
| Engineering Mathematics | 9 | |
| Engineering Mathematics | 9 | 0 |
| Applied Mechanics and Design | 16 | |
| Engineering Mechanics | 3 | +1 |
| Mechanics of Materials | 4 | 0 |
| Theory of Machines | 4 | +1 |
| Vibrations | 2 | 0 |
| Machine Design | 3 | -1 |
| Fluid and Thermal Sciences | 16 | |
| Fluid Mechanics | 5 | 0 |
| Heat Transfer | 5 | +2 |
| Thermodynamics | 4 | +1 |
| Power Plants, IC Engines and Refrigeration | 2 | -2 |
| Materials, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering | 14 | |
| Engineering Materials | 1 | 0 |
| Casting, Forming and Joining | 2 | -5 |
| Machining and Machine Tools | 3 | +1 |
| Metrology and Inspection | 1 | 0 |
| Computer Integrated Manufacturing | 2 | 0 |
| Production Planning and Control | 2 | +1 |
| Inventory Control | 1 | 0 |
| Operations Research | 2 | +1 |
Topics with no question in 2026 or 2025 are left out. Every question, by topic: GATE ME topic-wise PYQs.
How to sit GATE ME 2026
- Download your paper code and its answer key from this page. Do not open the key yet.
- Sit the full paper in three hours, one sitting: 10 GA questions and 55 core questions. Re-key NAT answers before you stop.
- Mark it with the official key: MCQ and MSQ by option, NAT by the range in the key. Apply the negative marks on MCQs only.
- Fill the error log the same day: section, topic, and miss type (concept, silly, time, or misread).
- Next session, repair only logged items. Then sit 2025 and compare.
Other years in this decade
- GATE ME 2025
- GATE ME 2024
- GATE ME 2023
- GATE ME 2022
- GATE ME 2021
- GATE ME 2020
- GATE ME 2019
- GATE ME 2018
- GATE ME 2017
- GATE ME 2016
FAQ
Where can I download the official GATE ME 2026 question paper?
On this page: IIT Guwahati’s master question paper and answer key, with a link to each original on gate2026.iitg.ac.in.
Is the GATE ME 2026 answer key official?
Yes. It is the answer key IIT Guwahati published with the master question paper. Candidates could challenge the keys from 25 to 28 February 2026.
How many questions were in GATE ME 2026?
65 questions for 100 marks in 3 hours: 10 General Aptitude questions worth 15 marks and 55 core questions worth 85 marks. It had 45 MCQs and 20 NATs, and no MSQs.
When was GATE ME 2026 held?
On 14 February 2026, in the afternoon session (2.30 pm to 5.30 pm).
Are memory-based GATE ME 2026 papers reliable?
There is no need for them: the official master paper and key is public. Use those instead of coaching reconstructions.
Where is the GATE ME syllabus and pattern?
See the GATE ME syllabus & pattern page, and check the current official brochure before your exam.